ARLINGTON, Va. – Alex Ovechkin approached linemates Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas after the second game of the Washington Capitals' season to do some film study.
The trio who had never before played together watched their shifts from that game, and Ovechkin thought they needed to be more predictable, hesitate less and find one another for passes quicker.
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It worked, and the result has been a hot start for the Capitals and their 39-year-old captain who is approaching one of hockey's more unapproachable records faster than most expected. Ovechkin has five goals in his past four games to get on pace to catch and pass Wayne Gretzky for the NHL career goals mark before the end of the season — and Washington has won eight of 11.
“We’re connecting, playing for each other, and that’s the most important thing,” Ovechkin said Tuesday. "It doesn’t matter if you’re scoring goals or make an assist, you just have to do the same thing over and over again.”
Ovechkin has done the same thing — put the puck in the net — better than everyone but Gretzky in the history of the sport. Seven goals this season have gotten him to 860, 35 back of breaking the record.
“It’s fun to play with him, to just see his excitement every time he goes on the ice and scores goals,” Protas said. “You want to help him more with that, want to be with him and get the energy out of it because he’s a phenomenal player, for sure. He’s chasing something special right now, and for sure it’s great to be with him and be a part of it.”
Ovechkin taking it into his own hands by reviewing game tape with younger teammates is something coach Spencer Carbery called “leadership 101.” Protas said it has been very helpful, and it doesn't hurt that the advice came from a superstar with Ovechkin's resume.
“Any time when he speaks up about where we need to be offensively and how we can be better, obviously we’re going to listen,” said Strome, who is tied for fifth in the league with 13 assists and leads the Capitals in scoring with 17 points. "It’s a good combination right now, so (we've) got to keep it rolling.”
Ovechkin, who on Monday was named the NHL's first star of the week, did not score his seventh goal last season until his 34th game on Dec. 30. Asked what was different, he joked, “Stromer find me and give me the puck.”
Strome doesn't necessarily disagree. His philosophy when playing with Ovechkin is simple: “Get him the puck.”
“Got to play with your instincts. If your instincts are the guy that has 860 goals is open, you’re probably going to want to pass the puck to him,” Strome said. “He's making great plays, too. That’s the thing: It’s not just his goals. I think his assists are up, too, and he’s making really good passes and we’re finding a way to connect.”
Ovechkin has seven assists. Last month, he joined Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Dionne and Phil Esposito as the only players with 700 goals and 700 assists.
And it's not just Ovechkin, Strome and Protas who are producing. Connor McMichael has matched Ovechkin with seven goals, and Tom Wilson has six to begin his new contract in style.
The Capitals are scoring 4.18 goals a game, third in the NHL, after averaging 2.63 last season to rank 28th out of 32 teams.
“I feel like we’re just a way better team offensively,” Carbery said. "We’re possessing the puck, which in the end, we’re controlling more play this year than last year.”
After eking into the playoffs and getting swept in the first round by the New York Rangers, the Capitals were reconstructed to be better offensively. And while things have been good so far, players understand there's a long way to go and success can be fleeting.
“When you’re winning, it’s always nice, but there’s going to be ups and downs,” Ovechkin said. “We have to see how we’re going to respond when we go down because those days are always going to be there. And we just have to stick together.”
NOTES: Defenseman Matt Roy, who was injured in the season opener on Oct. 12, is set to return Wednesday against Nashville. ... Carbery said defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who has been out the past week with an upper-body injury, is progressing but not ready to join the team for practice.
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL